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Hello Michael,
I’m so sorry to hear of your father’s death in Vietnam…I can sense the loss you feel.
I did not arrive in Pleiku until September 1965, but am familiar with the area.
Have done some research on your father’s convoy to Le Thanh and would like to forward an email to you that may help bring some closure and explain his combat action involving the assault on the enemy’s machine gun position which stole his life.
The map also depicts the area…
email me at milsammy@aol.com and I will send it to you.

As a Captain I was the II Corps Team 21 Asst. G3 Air Advisor from November 1966 until early 1967 when I replaced Captain George Finley as the G3 Air Advisor. I advised Captain Cu. The ARVN TOC officer I worked with was Major Su. Colonel Cannon was our Executive Officer, BG Lee commanded Tm 21. Su was, after I had left in November of 1967, assassinated at the Da Lat military academy due to internal ARVN issues from what I was told. Never heard from Cu post war. My desk was on the US side of the TOC across the hall from II DASC. Sitting across from me was usually LTC Herb Rapley who went over the targets I had selected and worked out the aircraft and ordnance with me. I never had a convoy leave without air cover, nor did we ever not have air support up to be diverted to troops in contact if required. I did all the Arc Lights by myself, no USAF input and called in the targets via the tropospheric scatter site. LTG Vinh Loc had given me and my predecessor full authorization to request strkes in his name. Flew many missions with the FACs out to the border, flew all over the Corps area, Ba Gi, Kontum, Binh Dinh, Bam Me Thuot etc. I taught English in PleiKu at the court house. As I was leaving an NVA regiment moving forward toward PKU and the $th ID was surprised funny story there, we diverted all air support to the area which if you read the NVA account was a total disaster for them, 500 KIA by body count. The NVA are still unaware of what happened and why we knew they were there. Team 21 from 1966 to 1967 was highly professional and left a strong foundation for Vann and his staff later on.

This is my first time ever attempting to contact my army buddies on the Internet. My name is (SP5) Richard C. Hudgens. I served with MACV Advisory Team 21 (G3) at II Corps Headquarters in PleiKu from mid-January, 1968 until mid-February, 1969. I often pulled guard duty on the north side of the compound among construction equipment as they were building the “firefighting reservoir” from February until July, when the pool opened. I manned a telephone and typewriter in the G3 office, a small unfinished wood frame building at the top of the hill, outside the compound, next to the huge HQ building. Soon after my arrival a replacement G3 Advisor, LTC Robert S. Williams, and a replacement G3 Deputy Advisor, MAJ Washington, also arrived. The officers had the back rooms, while the enlisted people had the front room. I worked with SP5 Thomas H.Freeman, SP4 James J. Carroll, and the best sergeant ever, SFC Gordon N. Reis. We also had Vietnamese translators in the office, CPL Le Trong, SGT Thinh, SGT Thanh, and a sillyvillain, Miss Hai. Freeman later rotated out and was replaced by SP4 Bonar Armstrong. Later in ’68, the entire G3 office was moved into the newly constructed underground CTOC, the Corps Tactical Operations Center, which was the only place in the entire area that could withstand a direct hit from a 122mm rocket. I initially had the bottom bunk in a barracks-type building, with rows of two-tiered bunks, but eventually I moved into one of the old motel-type rooms of the original compound, sharing the room with three other guys. Besides Bonar, my other two roommates were SP4 Paul Haas (the Chaplain’s assistant), and CPL Joe Rogers (a full-time Life Guard at the “firefighting reservoir”). I have fond memories of standing around the burn barrel burning classified documents with Couriers SP4 Roger Dine Olsen (Ole, or Flash Guru) and SP4 Clinton B. Hartwell. I remember SP5 Darryl F. Chapman, SP5 John Hilty, MAJ Peter LaRosa, MAJ Philip P. Caswell, and many others. That was ’68, and now I’m 68! Last year I contacted Clint Hartwell and enjoyed speaking with him. Anyway, here I am out in public.

I was om Team 65, Sa Dec, IV Corp. My golfing (and tm 65) buddy Jim Resau was downsizing from a house to a condo and gave me a 13X18 (approx) cartoon with 15 drawings around the border and a large drawing in the center of a Co Van My and a counterpart (VN CPT). He has no idea where he got it. We were in country 69-70 but he was another 2 years at Aberdeen and another 24 or so in the reserves. Near the bottom is printed “FINLEY adv tm 21″. Anyone know anything??? Tom Jinks 1st LT tm 65.

I was in supply and mail room at Team 21 from Dec 68 to Mar 69. I remember a Lt. Lawrenceson, Maj. Gaier, Rodney Dobbins, Ray Ailstock, and a few others. Team 21 was basically the HQ Detachment for MACV II Corps Hq. Other units we supported were Team 36 in Pleiku, a ARVN ranger advisory group, and a ARVN POW camp. Other than moviews or the club was not a lot ot do at night. I remember volunteering to ride shotgun to take the Generals chopper pilot home after dinner one night. If i remember the 1st Sgt was part owner of club in Pleiku. William Luck ran the special services office. A guy named Delmar Titus was the motor sgt.

245th Psyops from August of 1966 to July of 1967. Ran the photo lab and also was a pressman for a short while. Sp’s Miller, Morris and Niver we leaving at i arrived. The two artists were SP4 Wands and Keane. Keane also served in the field. Mario Villamazzo and David Luke served about the same time. I remember being mortared at least twice, and night was a pretty major offensive at Camp Holloway. Nice to see some of my friends posting here. Capt. Dunn was the CO when I got there replaced by Capt Brereton from Bremerton, WA. The other Lt referred to my be Joe Wlbran, who became active in Minnesota politics.

Hi mario, Good to hear from you…and welcome home.
So many thoughts running through my mind about how we were so close, but yet do not remember meeting you….did you work with SP5 Peter Clark in our detachment? He had similar duties and was in the loudspeaker/med/cap team that supported the 1st air cav and Montagnard villages.
When we got off the troop ship in Qu Nhon in September 1965 we were flown to Pleiku and set up a temporary place to sleep in the same building as the Macv bar on the main compound while our hooch was being built…about 100 yards from the small PX…our vans and work area was behind II Corps Hq bldg.
If you send me your email address I can send you some photos.
I do remember Cpt Perry being replaced by Cpt Dunn and think I have a picture of Sgt Baker.
Have a lot more to say, but have to stop for now…hope you respond soon.
David Miller
Olympia, Wa

Captain Perry was there when I transferred to the detachment. Captain Dunn came in about the same time I did. I knew Plemmons. Our ship sailed into Cam Ranh Bay and then sailed to Vung Tau where the HHC of the 6th disembarked. My email address is mvillama@comcast.net. The detachment had its orderly room and operations in the ARVN compound behind II Corps HQs as you wrote. Baker and Allen came on the same troop transport with me but they were sent to the 245th PSYOPS Co. in Nha Trang and then to Pleiku. I was my own team leader most of the time. A couple of times I went out with Lt. Barrett and another lieutenant whose name I forgot, but I usually went out by myself with Montangards and an ARVN soldier that we called Wilbur. Wilbur wore glasses and spoke English, French and Vietnamese, of course.

Ia Drang was close to the Tea Plantation where the 3rd Bde of the 25th was. , I didn’t go to Ia Drang, but had I been there in ’65 who knows if I’d be here today. The 1st Air Cav took me all over II Corps.

David Miller, I was with the PSYOPs detachment in the MACV compound. Our hootch was next to the mail room. Went to Nam by MSTS troop transport ship, the USNS Gen John Pope, with the HHC 6th PsyOps. Was in the Detachment from about May 1966 until January 1967. I was an intelligence analyst and on a loud speaker team. Supported the 1st and 3rd Bdes of the 1st Air Cav, 2nd Bde of the 4th ID and 3rd Bde of the 25th ID. I also worked with the CIDG. Richard (Duke) Allen, David Luke, Lt. Barrett, Captain Dunn, and Sgt. Baker were there at the same time.

I was assigned to Team 21 supply room from Dec 68 through Mar 70 when i was reassigned to Team 22. Ray Ailstock, Richard Smelser, William Luck were some of the guys assigned that I remember. Ray was the generals driver/clerk, Bill was the special services guy. I worked with a Rodney Dobbins who transferred from the 175th Abn. Lt Lawrenceson was the xo for a while before he went out with the Rangers. I left before the officers/nco club was hit by a rocket but so the aftermath. Was early 1970 i believe.

I served from 1966 – 1967. Team 21 II corp and lived.on the MACV compound. Dos any one know of ssgt fisher also of team 21. He as i were assigned to ARVN Rangers he moved north when the rangers moved in december 1966.

Hi Fred…just now seeing your post. Do you remember Capt John K Adams, Army, who was with II Corps Team 21 from 1Mar67 to 26Mar 67 when he was KIA with his ARVN Counterpart??? I’m trying to ID another Capt in a photo I have posing with my father when her first arrived at HQ. Maybe you can remember other Officers during that time frame? Thanks much!

Deb, sorry for the delay I have been out of the area. On my team there was one captain, a lt. And a major. As far as I knew the officers stayed and us enlisted rotated home. There were a total of ten men with no Kia on my rotation. If you have a photo that I can see I will be happy to tell you about our interaction, I was the team medic.

SSgt Mike Adkins. I was an Intelligence analyst assigned to Team 21 Aug 72-Mar 73; my second tour. SP5 at the time. First tour was Jul 67 – Jul 68, during which I spent Tet 68 just 8 km south of Hue — an interesting time indeed. Got to “tour” the city after it was cleared of NVA. Years later, I viewed a schematic of the Team 21 compound and discovered an amusing factoid. The compound had a “fire-fighting reservoir” complete with diving board. Also had a volley ball court and skeet range. Rotated back to the world in Mar 73 as we were closing out the compound and turning it over to ARVN.

Welcome home guys,
I was the still photographer in the 25th Psyop det. MACV compound, Pleiku from September 1965 to September 1966.
I was presented with a small crossbow inscribed with MACV Advisory team 21, Pleiku, Vietnam.
I photographed the Ia Drang battle in Nov 1965 and was in the jungles and Montagnard villages with the 3rd bde, 1st Cav often collecting photos that were made into leaflets at our detachment.
Would be happy to provide more info if requested.

Some of the soldiers in 25th Psyop detachment as I remember….sorry I can’t recall everyones name….Remember that 17 day ship voyage to Vietnam?
Cpt William R Perry, Lt Harvey, Lt Goetz, Lt Williams, Sp4 Corlette Baylock, Dienthal, Swinerton, Pimental, Charles Morris, Risley, Niver, Rosynek and Plemons…Sp5 Peter Clark and SSG Mike Zazalak.
I was honored to be selected in August 2013 in Together we served if you care to look at my profile go to: http://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=Profile&type=R
Sure would like to hear from you!

February 12, 2015 11:29 am
David Miller, I was with the PSYOPs detachment in the MACV compound. Our hootch was next to the mail room. Went to Nam by MSTS troop transport ship, the USNS Gen John Pope, with the HHC 6th PsyOps. Was in the Detachment from about May 1966 until January 1967. I was an intelligence analyst and on a loud speaker team. Supported the 1st and 3rd Bdes of the 1st Air Cav, 2nd Bde of the 4th ID and 3rd Bde of the 25th ID. I also worked with the CIDG. Richard (Duke) Allen, David Luke, Lt. Barrett, Captain Dunn, and Sgt. Baker were there at the same time.

My father, Major Bernard W Dibbert, was killed in an ambush near Pleiku on June 1, 1965. Do you know anything about what happend or have any pictures of Highway 19 from Pleiku to Le Thanh (where their convey was headed)? Michael Dibbert (his son)

My mail address in 1967 was MACV Adv Tm 21 Pleiku. We lived on the MACV compound next to their HQ guys. We were a small detachment of TMA. I was commo chief. When the new General came we got kicked off the compound and went to live with the Air Force. Since most of our work was classified, I told him what we did was none of his business. Our hooch looked like MASH the tv show. Bar in the center, loud music and weapons everywhere. Needless to say, the little General was pissed.

We were there during Tet ’68. We manned the bunkers outside the compound. Once out of the wire there was no getting back in until daylight. Mortar and rocket attacks were a daily part of life after Tet. Fortunately, none of our guys got killed, though we took a lot of shrapnel.

Am unable to contact any of the TMA guys. The only people we associated with were some of the 504 MP’s. If anyone is out there let me know.

Jerry Frith are you on Facebook? I posted a reply above regarding Capt John K Adams, Team 21 only from 01Mar67 to 26Mar67 , his KIA date. Did you have contact with these guys ? I’ve posted photos he took on the MACV Facebook group

I am looking for anyone who served on the MACV team 21, II Corps, who might remember a Sergeant First Class by the name of Ray Ely. He was in Vietnam from ’67-’69 and was awarded the Bronze star in ’67. Any help would be appreciated.

SP5 Tommy C. Nettles, I was assigned to Team 21 Feb-May 70 as an Intelligence Analyst. I had an emergency at home and had to leave early. I ended up getting out of the Army , for a while. I remember the mess hall getting blown all to hell and killing lots of people. We were a target for the rockets and got hit often. The pool was great. This was the time of the Cambodia action and I remember our base pay doubled during this period of time due to VOLAR. I got to reenlist and spent 23 years and retired a Master Sergeant. This was my second tour (my first was airborne infantry 1/8th Cav ABN 65-66 and my third was 525 MI Group (CI), Siagon 72-73)

Hi Ed, I am a fellow Gold Star son. My father CWO Wayne E. Jones was KIA 17 Aug 67 flying out of Pleiku. The reason that I am on this page is a MACV Advisory Team 21 member Ronald Johnson died in the crash and I have been trying to find a picture of him. The Virtual Wall.org shows your dad serving with team 36 and Army.togetherweserved.com has a description of the attack in which he was killed. Also google his name or the Coffelt Database. Check out the website SDIT.org. Let me know if you want to talk or need more help. Good Luck, Wayne A. Jones, Jr.

Great website – thanks all for your service.
My father Edmund Roberge was killed in action on 16 March 1971 in Pleku, Phu Nhon HQ. He was part of MACV team just not sure what team. Does anyone recall him or serve at that time. Thanks. Ed

I was the communications Sgt. at Pleiku sector headquarters from September 1967 to September 1968. I was responsible for radio communications between sector headquarters and our four subsectors. We used RT-524 and PRC-25 FM radios and a KWM2A and PRC-74 SSB radios.

Was assigned to the Direct Air Support Center at the Army MAC-V compound from Aug 67-68. I was an Air Force radio operator who provided air support all over II Corps when requested by the Army. Primarily, F-4 Phantoms.. Was there on Jan 31, 1968 when the Tet offensive began. Ended up making the Air Force a career and retired in 1989. Would love to hear from anyone from that time frame. Steve Fee steve134@comcast.net

I was at Team 21 between May 71 and January 72 with a period of time at Arty Hill. We were a team of 5 called II Corps(Red) which was part of the 525th MI Group. I have spoke with others assigned to the team earlier but have not yet found any assigned during the same time period.

My father CWO Wayne E. Jones served with the 18th Avn. Co. 2nd Platoon at Pleiku. He lived at the MACV compound at Pleiku and flew out of Camp Holloway. His Otter aircraft crashed on Dragon Mountain 17 Aug 1967, taking the lives of all the crew and a passenger Pfc Ronald J. Johnson from MACV Adv. Team 21.
Would like to hear from anyone that new Mr. Johnson or remembers the 18th Avn. Co. members there in 1967.

I recall the crash which killed our courier whom I believe was Johnson around then. He would come to the TOC, pick up dispatches and leave, not much chatting was done. It is a long time ago and detailed memory fails but I recall the crash not being on Dragon Mountain which was devoid of vegetation and stuck out like a sore thumb, also called Titty Mountain, but in a the mountainous jungle area further south in bad, foggy, weather. Having flown many hours in II Corps as a passenger the weather could turn on you in a second and the flight get very tense.